


The Idiot and the Prat (The Writing and the Wall Remix)

by Aeris444



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Fluff and Angst, Letters, M/M, Remix
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-28
Updated: 2015-04-28
Packaged: 2018-03-26 05:25:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,934
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3838744
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aeris444/pseuds/Aeris444
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There is a misunderstanding, a letter and then another letter... Or how an idiot and a prat are unable to show their true feelings without some help.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Idiot and the Prat (The Writing and the Wall Remix)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [daroh](https://archiveofourown.org/users/daroh/gifts).
  * Inspired by [The Writing and the Wall](https://archiveofourown.org/works/1675775) by [daroh](https://archiveofourown.org/users/daroh/pseuds/daroh). 



The Idiot and the Prat

 

 

It was a few hours after sunset when Merlin took his leave from the Knights and his Prince.

As often happened after a long and hard patrol on the realm borders, Arthur indulged in a night at the tavern with his Knights.

Merlin enjoyed seeing his Prince so relaxed during those nights but that day, he had to go back to the castle early as he had promised to help Gaius the next morning. Winter was coming and the physician needed to restock his supplies.

“I need to go. Gaius will need me tomorrow morning.” Merlin excused himself as Gwaine ordered some more mead.

“I’ll not require your help before midday.”

Merlin nodded. After night like these, Arthur always skipped training, often nursing his hangover.

Merlin waved to the knights and left. He didn’t see how Arthur’s eyes followed him to the tavern’s door.

 

“The Princess is completely besotted…” Gwaine said to Percival, not really trying to be discreet.

“What?” Arthur asked, turning back to his Knights.”

“Nothing!” Gwaine answered with his most innocent face, though he kept watching Arthur with a knowing smile, slowly driving the Prince mad.

“Go on, Gwaine… Ask what you want to ask!” Arthur said finally, tired of the knight’s little game.

Gwaine smiled more broadly and nudged Percival in an I-told-you-so manner.

“Are you in love with Merlin?”

Trust Gwaine to be the most forward man in all the realm.

“Of course not!” Arthur managed to look outraged by Gwaine’s assumption.

“Oh… So you’re just curious about shagging him? Is that why you keep looking at his arse?”

“I don’t know what you mean.”

“Sire. You do look at him quite a lot.”

Arthur looked at Leon. Leon of all his Knights was backing up Gwaine!

“I don’t!”

Arthur was nearly pouting now. He saw Percival and Elyan nod. Traitors!

“Oh! I understand!” Gwaine said, lifting his mead before gulping half of it. “You’ve never done it before!”

“Of course I have! I’m the Prince, Gwaine!”

Arthur was starting to feel dizzy; the drinks and the exasperation were slowly getting to him.

“No, I mean with a man! I bet you’ve never even kissed a man!”

“I….” Arthur tried to prove Gwaine wrong but nothing came out of his mouth. He sighed and put his head in his hands.

“I knew it!” Gwaine exclaimed triumphantly.

“Gwaine, perhaps you should stop…” Leon tried to intervene, only to be shushed by Gwaine.

“Leon, I thought you had agreed that we had to do something about the prince.”

“Of course, but…”

“He’s right, Leon!” Elyan interrupted. “It has to stop! The prince can’t keep looking like a lovesick puppy!”

“The prince is here, you know!” Arthur groaned.

“Let’s get back to business!” Gwaine said without really paying attention to Arthur. “So… You love Merlin but you’ve never done anything with a man before…”

“I never said that.” Arthur protested feebly, his head now resting on the table.

“Whatever… I know what you need!”

“More mead?” Percival suggested.

“Not now. Now, Arthur needs to kiss a man!”

“What?” the prince exclaimed, finally looking at his knights again.

“And I’m volunteering.” Gwaine continued.

“Gwaine, we’ve long ago shown that what you lack in intelligence you make up for in good looks, but please could you try to explain how kissing you would help me with anything?”

“That’s really simple, even for you… You kiss me, you realise kissing a man is wonderful, you enjoy it and then you go back to the castle, free of your fears and ready to snog Merlin!”

“That doesn’t make any sense.”

“I see… You’re a man of action, after all…”

And without any other warning, Gwaine was kissing Arthur. Surprised, Arthur had tried to say something, opening his mouth and so letting Gwaine deepen the kiss.

And without really thinking about it, Arthur started to enjoy the kiss and respond. He would never admit it but Gwaine was right. That kiss was strangely liberating.

All the knights were watching with interest, and nobody saw Merlin enter the tavern again.

***

As expected, Arthur stayed in bed till midday, a pounding headache never leaving him.

He was finally pulled out of bed by hunger. He was ready to call for Merlin and ask for his lunch when he realized it was already set on the table. Surprised by Merlin’s efficiency, Arthur went straight to the table and ate.

His surprise was short-lived, though, as Merlin was nowhere to be seen when Arthur needed him to get dressed. In the end, the prince had to call another servant.

When Arthur came back to his room after having dined with his father, he was in a fool mood. Merlin had disappeared. He had never appeared to attend to him during the council meeting, or the dinner afterwards. Arthur had sent for him, but no servant was able to find him. Even Gaius didn’t know where he was.

That was even more frustrating as, after the events of the night before, Arthur had decided to test the waters with Merlin.

Merlin, who wasn’t anywhere to be found…

Arthur groaned and called for another servant again.

It was only when he went to bed that Arthur understood the reason for Merlin’s disappearance.

On his pillow lay a small roll of parchment. Arthur unrolled it and started to read.

 

_~~Sire~~ , Arthur, _

_I don’t know where to begin… I’m not even sure I should write this letter. Do you know how hard it was to find some parchment and ink? I suppose I don’t have any other choice, though. It’s the only way for me to tell you how I feel…_

_I have a crush on you… Perhaps it’s even more than a crush. Not that it matters anymore._

_I have felt attracted to you since we met… Of course, at first you were nothing more than a handsome prat. As time went by, I discovered the kind-hearted man behind the prince, and I fell for you._

_Then Gwen came into the picture and I was preparing myself to see you happy with her. Once again, destiny played with us and she left with Lancelot, rekindling my hopes. Hopes… I had so many of them in the past months. I had that foolish feeling that we had grown closer, that something more was possible between us. How stupid I was…_

_A prince like you has nothing to do with a servant like me… I can see the appeal of the knights. They’re fit, brave and noble at heart… But Gwaine? Anyone but him, I could have understood. I suppose I don’t know you that well then._

_Do you know how upset I am? I supposed you looked for me today… I just couldn’t come and look at your blissfully happy smile knowing who had given it to you. I don’t know when I’ll be able to come back. I’ve asked Gaius if I can be his fulltime assistant, and I talked with George who will take my duties as your manservant._

_Signed,_

_The stupid idiot that thought Prat-Prince could like him._

After a restless night spent hoping that Merlin would change his mind, Arthur realised that he had to fix things. He read the letter from Merlin again, trying to process what Merlin was telling him...

Tthen he just let the parchment fell on the floor and nearly ran towards Gaius’ rooms.

“Gaius?” Arthur asked after entering the room without knocking.

“Sire? Is there a problem?”

“I’m looking for Merlin.”

“Oh. He’s in the lower town delivering some medicines for me. He should come back soon.”

“Alright.” Arthur answered, without moving.

“Would you like to wait for him here, Sire?” Gaius asked diplomatically.

“Yes, thanks.”

Arthur sat on a stool next to the window and waited. He waited for three candlemarks and Merlin didn’t come back.

Finally, Gaius suggested that Arthur went back to his room and promised to send Merlin to him as soon as he was back. Merlin never came and Arthur realized he had to do something.

He grabbed some parchment and a quill and started writing.

 

_Dear Merlin,_

_Whatever I may have said in the past, you aren’t an idiot… Clearly, I am._

_What you saw in the tavern with Gwaine was just a stupid game. Before Gwaine kissed me, he was trying to make me admit that I was in love with you. I didn’t, so he said I was afraid of telling the truth only because I never had done anything with a man before… In order to help me, he decided to kiss me._

_I know you don’t have to believe me… You can ask Gwaine and the others._

_I’m not afraid of what they can tell you as I’ve finally admitted it… I’m in love with you, Merlin._

_I was an idiot not to have realized it before, and now I’ve lost you… I’ve hurt you and I can’t forgive myself for that. So, I can’t even ask you to forgive me…_

_I just hope you’ll agree to resume your position as my manservant and unofficial advisor when you judge it appropriate, because, even after a day, I’m already missing you…_

_Yours sincerely,_

_The stupid Prat Prince._

 

The letter written, Arthur went back to Gaius’s rooms and asked the physician to give the letter to Merlin when he came back.

***

Arthur was reading the same report about hay stocks for the third time when someone knocked on the door.

“Come in!” he shouted, more exasperated by his lack of concentration than by the disruption.

“Arthur?”

“Merlin?”

Arthur stood up to see his manservant entering the room.

“Why… Why are you here?”

“Didn’t you ask me to come? In your letter.”

“You read it?”

Arthur was unsure how to react. Was Merlin back as his manservant or was there some hope for something more?

“Yeah… And I’ve talked with Gwaine and the others…”

“I suppose they backed up my story, if you’re here.”

Merlin nodded and came closer to Arthur.

“They also told me I’d better do something, because you were awful with them today in training.”

“Oh… Yeah… I was, I think.”

Merlin was now really close and Arthur held his breath.

“You’re Prince Prat, you have to live up to your reputation.”

Merlin’s smile was decidedly wicked, then.

“But I suppose it’s what I like in you…” Merlin added just before kissing Arthur.

 

***

The next day, training was cancelled, offering the knights some free time. No one dared to ask why, but four Knights had some guess as the Prince and his manservant were nowhere to be seen.

Later, when Gwaine finally crossed Arthur’s path, he just couldn’t resist.

“So, Princess, can I hope for a ‘Thank you’ at least?”

“Be happy that I haven’t sent you on the stocks, Gwaine!”

“Spoilsport!”

“Do you know who you are taking to?”

“Prince Prat?”

They turned to see Merlin coming from the end of the corridor.

“Arthur, stop being stubborn and say thank you to Gwaine. After all without him, we wouldn’t have… You know…”

Merlin blushed and it was enough for Arthur to remember what they did the night before.

“Thank you, Gwaine.” The prince said flatly.

Gwaine just smiled and left.

“I’m not sure I could live knowing I owe my happiness to Gwaine…” Arthur sighed.

Merlin came closer and circled Arthur’s waist with his arms.

“I’m sure I can make you forgot it, at least for a little while.”

“Really?”

“Mmm hmm.”

Merlin leaned in for a kiss and Arthur was thankful for the small alcoves lining the castle’s corridors.

 


End file.
